


A Peaceful Moment

by therandomfizzer



Category: Bonanza
Genre: Gen, a nice wholesome one :), buckle up lads this is a cute one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 02:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20613491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therandomfizzer/pseuds/therandomfizzer
Summary: A cute little story about the boys spending a nice quiet night together. This story is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the show! :)





	A Peaceful Moment

Ben sits in his favorite chair puffing from his pipe, watching the flames of the fireplace dance and flicker, the burning wood cracking and popping. He hears a chuckle from Joe and looks to see why he’s laughing. 

Joe sits on the table cross legged, smirking down at the game of checkers he and Hoss are playing. Hoss is sitting on the settee, leaned over resting an elbow on his knee and hand that’s supporting his chin. His brows are furrowed as he tries to think of strategies to beat Joe and win the game. He doesn’t know it, but Joe has him pinned. There’s only 1 real move he can make and Joe can hardly keep the winning smile off his face. 

He hears the sound of a page turn and looks up and see’s Adam opposite of him, sitting in his own chair reading a book. Quietly he reads the words written on the paper, perhaps a book on philosophy or even another book on poetry. He’s holding the book with his right hand as his other rests on the knee that’s crossed over his other leg. He gets lost in books, he drinks the writing in as if he were lost in a desert and it was his only source of water left. 

‘’Come on will ya? There’s only one way you can go-’’ Joe starts but is cut off by Hoss raising his big hand to silence him. 

‘’Now don’t rush me Little Joe, I’m takin' my time’’ Hoss says and goes back to examining the board thoroughly. Joe rolls his eyes. 

‘’This could take all night’’ he says with a sigh. 

Ben smiles around his pipe and lets out a puff of smoke. It’s such a peaceful night. He treasures moments like these. Moments when they’re in their natural habitat. Where they can just be themselves and not have to worry about anything. All too often their nights are interrupted by someone coming unannounced to the front down and shouting their last words before keeling over with a bullet wound in their back. Or sheriff Roy Coffee galloping over with news that someone has been kidnapped in the night or a wanted man was seen and if they’d heard anything. 

No, all too often something was going on. Of course Ben is all too happy to be of some help, but he just wished he had more time to enjoy moments like these. 

Adam yawns and stretches out.

‘’I think it’s about time hit the sack’’ he says stretching his arms over his head and closing his book. He gets up from his chair and looks over at Hoss and Joe’s game and shakes his head. 

‘’Goodnight all’’ he announces and waves his hand goodbye. 

‘’Night Adam’’ Joe says looking bored out of his mind waiting for Hoss to make his move. 

‘’Yeah, goodnight’’ Hoss says with a dismissive wave as he stares at the checker board. Ben takes the pipe out of his mouth. 

‘’Goodnight son’’ he says warmly. Adam smiles and makes his way up the stairs, Ben watching him until he disappears behind the stones of the fireplace. 

He knows that he won’t go straight to sleep though. Many nights before Ben’s gotten up late at night for one reason or another, and has seen the lamp light from under his room on. He knows his oldest son well enough to know that he’s still reading a book he just can’t put down. He smiles at the thought. 

‘’Oh for Pete’s sake will you just make your move! You can’t go anywhere else!!’’ he hears Joe snap. Hoss finally picks up his last black checker and hesitantly puts it down. 

‘’_Finally_’’ Joe stresses and jumps one of his red checkers over his, winning the game. 

‘’Dadburnit’’ Hoss grumbles. 

‘’I always lose!’’ 

‘’Maybe the faster you go the more you’ll win’’ Joe teases with a grin. Hoss gives him a look and Joe chuckles at it. He can’t stay mad, especially when Hoss gets all grumpy after losing. 

‘’How about another round before bed?’’ Hoss asks hopefully. Joe shakes his head. 

‘’I’d rather actually get some sleep tonight’’ he jokes. He pours the black and red checkers into a wooden bowl and sets it on top of the board. Joe gets off the table and stretches his arms and legs, loosening up the muscles after sitting in the same position for so long. 

Hoss braces his hands on his knees and pushes himself up, also feeling stiff after the long game. He makes his way towards the kitchen. 

Joe rubs his eyes and blinks, feeling the sleepiness set in. 

‘’Might go to bed now myself’’ he says and yawns into his elbow. 

‘’Don’t stay up too late Pa’’ he says with a smile. Ben chuckles. 

‘’I won’t. Goodnight Joe’’ Joe nods and wearily makes his way up the stairs, hand sliding up the railing with him as he’s always done since he was a boy.

Ben’s never really sure what he does when he retires to his room for the night. Sometimes he walks past and the lamp light is off not 5 minutes after he closes the door. Other’s he’s opened the door to check on him and he’s at his desk writing something. He knows Joe has his own journal that he keeps and writes in. Whenever Ben’s been in his room before he’s never seen it. He must keep it in a pretty secure place so his nosy brothers of his don’t find it. 

Hoss comes out of the kitchen holding 2 cookies and 1 in his mouth. He walks over to Ben and takes a bite out of the cookie. 

‘’Joe gone to bed already?’’ Hoss says with his mouth full.

‘’Yes he’s gone to bed already. That game must of really knocked him up’’ Ben smiles. Hoss laughs.

‘’Yeah. I think i’m starting to get the hang of it’’ he jokes.

‘’Well i better be goin’ to bed too then. You coming up Pa?’’ Hoss asks. 

‘’In a minute’’ Ben says nodding. 

‘’Alright then. Goodnight Pa’’ Hoss says and starts towards the stairs. 

‘’Hoss’’ Ben says. 

Hoss turns around with a cookie in his mouth. Ben smiles.

‘’Goodnight’’ Ben says. Hoss smiles and takes the rest of the cookie out of his mouth 

‘’Night Pa’’ he says and walks up the stairs. Ben can’t stop smiling. He know’s there will be cookie crumbs on his bed in the morning. 

Ben knows that Hoss neither reads nor writes before going to sleep, but will look at his photos. Hoss loves photos. He has frames all over his room. He settles into bed and picks up his frames and admires them. He has one of his mother right beside his bed, she’s the first one Hoss looks at. 

He has one of his uncle Gunnar on his wall. He has many photo’s of the 4 of them all together. Some nice and others silly. He has one’s of animal’s he’s saved and people he’s met. He loves to relive those treasured moments. 

Ben beginning to feel tired myself, takes his pipe out having smoked all of it and places it on the table, as he too stretches his stiff muscles. hauling himself up from his chair and looking over the room, he notices how small the fire has gotten and goes to stoke it. Disposing of the pipe ash and putting it back in it’s place on his desk, he too makes his way up the stairs. 

He walks past Adam’s room, and as to be expected his lamp is still on. Next making his way past Joe’s room he sees that the lamp is off. He must of been too tired to write tonight. And lastly making his way past Hoss’s room he see’s the lamp still on. 

Ben finally enters his room and sheds the day’s clothes, putting on a fresh nightshirt and slipping into his bed. Now unlike Adam who reads, Joe who writes or Hoss who admires, Ben likes to think. He closes his eyes and thinks about that day. He thinks about yesterday and tomorrow too. But most importantly he thinks about his family. 

He thinks about the time they spend together, the way they fight and get along, the way they have eachother’s back no matter what, the busy days where they conquer the world and the peaceful nights where they can relax and be still. He thinks about it all. Oh how proud their mothers would be of them. Ben feels 3x the pride and more because of them, his sons. His world. And with all those happy thoughts in his mind, with a small smile on his face, he drifts into sleep feeling full of pure love and happiness. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 60th anniversary to this amazing show!!! ^__^ i wanted to write a nice little story about them just relaxing together, a snapshot of their life.  
There's episodes of upon episode's of them going off on adventures, but what about the moments where they can just relax? i hope this story manages to give off chill and peaceful vibes~ :)  
I hope you guys enjoy <33 :D


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